Three years after it was dismantled, Libertyville’s outdoor hockey rink is back and local skaters say they’re glad the project was completed.

The original rink was used for roller hockey during the warmer months and ice hockey in the winter until it was disassembled in January 2015 when Libertyville sold Bolander Park to a housing developer.

Libertyville's Parks and Recreation Committee spent more than a year reviewing sites at Butler Lake Park and Adler Park before choosing a grassy area next to a softball field along Route 45 outside the Libertyville Sports Complex.

Dave Maliszewski, 35, who recently moved to Mundelein from Libertyville, said he and a group of friends used to play at Bolander Park about three times a week.

“When it closed it was heartbreaking,” Maliszewski said. “After the first year I got a little worried. I kept wondering what was going on and why it was so complicated. I’m glad they didn’t give up. It’s so awesome that they brought it back.”

Maliszewski said a few nearby towns try to create outdoor rinks, but they don’t compare to Libertyville’s.

“It’s got full boards, a chain link fence above, and nets all the way up top,” Maliszewski said. “The ice surface is the most important thing, and because they take care of it and they seem to care about it that makes it worth coming to because the quality of the ice surface matters a lot to hockey players.”

The project was budgeted at $450,000, but early estimates put the actual cost at $370,521, according to documents reviewed before the March 14 vote to approve construction.

A sign on the rink says it’s open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and warns users that they’re skating at their own risk. The rink-side lights are on a timer, which currently turns on at 5 p.m.

Maliszewski said he likes how the rink is free and isn’t dominated by programs that reserve use of the ice.

“There are always people here, and for the most part everybody is really cool,” Maliszewski said. “It’s real easy to start a pickup game.”

Jack Murphy, a 2015 Libertyville High School graduate, was on the ice during winter break from college. He said he used to play for the IceCats, a combined club team for High School District 128, and he still enjoys pick-up games.

“Last year we were driving out to West Park in Lake Forest, which was a pain,” Murphy said. “It’s really nice but it’s a 20-minute or more drive compared to a five-minute ride here.”

Murphy said when he was in high school there was a Facebook group where kids would talk about playing hockey after school. He said the page doesn’t appear active anymore.

“I feel like not a lot of people know about the rink,” Murphy said. “It was closed for so long. I’m hoping the word gets out.”

Small groups from the hockey teams at Warren Township High School and Carmel Catholic High School have gotten the word and routinely stop by for extra team building.

Danny Ahn, a senior at Warren, lives in Gurnee and he said he’s friends with guys on the hockey team. He said players on Warren’s team are friends with kids on other teams and someone suggested trying out Libertyville’s new rink.

“Our friends, we text each other in a group chat and figure something out,” Ahn said. “Other times if I’m just feeling it I’ll drive out by myself and join a pickup game. It’s real easy.”

During the long deliberations, Libertyville Mayor Terry Weppler said he wanted the rink constructed in a neighborhood area where teens without driver’s licenses can walk to it. However, residents neighboring Butler Lake Park didn't want added noise or traffic, and experts said the land at Adler Park was too sloped to rebuild the rink.

“This is nice because once you’re done with hockey you can go inside and play some basketball to warm up,” Ahn said.

Ethan Byrne, 14, lives in Mundelein along the west side of Route 45. He said his mom doesn’t mind dropping him off when he wants some casual practice. He used to play for a club at Glacier Ice Rink in Vernon Hills and now plays for the Milwaukee Admirals in Wisconsin.

Byrne said the sports complex is a much easier drive, and has more locals to make friends with.